The Wounded (episode)
When Chief O'Brien's former commander, Captain Benjamin Maxwell, apparently goes rogue, the Enterprise is ordered to apprehend him before his actions result in another war between the Federation and the Cardassian Union. Summary Teaser The ''Enterprise'' is conducting mapping surveys near the Cardassian border. This sector is a second trip for Captain Picard as he encountered the Cardassians in the sector when he was in command of the ''Stargazer''. He remembers encountering them, and lowering his shields as a sign of good will, but the Cardassians took offense and attacked, taking out his weapons and damaging the impulse engines before he could regroup and run. Counselor Troi found the encounter humorous as she does not know that Picard could run away from a fight. Picard simply replies with "believe it". Lieutenant Worf indicates the Cardassians have no sense of honor and should not be trusted. Troi replies that they are now allies and have to be trusted. Worf scoffs that trust is earned and not given. Even still, Picard does not want to stay too long without letting the Cardassians know. Newly married Chief Miles and Keiko O'Brien are having breakfast together. The chief doesn't seem to care much for Keiko's breakfast, but she explains that she has this every morning and that it's very healthy. O'Brien thanks her for the food she's accustomed to, and he'd love to do make her food he's used to. He goes on to explain his mother used to cook, using real food and not replicated, as she believed that real food is better. This surprises Keiko, to which she asks if O'Brien's mother handled raw meat, touched it, and cut it. O'Brien concedes that he'll have to use the replicator to make something special for her, much to Keiko's delight. Their romantic moment is soon interrupted by a weapon impact, and the sounds of the red alert klaxon. O'Brien quickly gets up and reports to his station. Worf calls out that the Cardassian ship is beginning to fire again. The ship takes a hit off the shields and minor damage is sustained on the secondary hull, before the shields went up. Chief Engineer, Lt. Commander La Forge calls out that the starboard power link is down, as the ship is hit by an even heavier blast. The fish-like Cardassian ship lets loose another salvo at the Enterprise. Picard initiates a Delta-sequence maneuver and orders the ship's phasers ready. Unleashing phaser blasts, he successfully forces the ship to stand down. Picard wants answers as to why they were attacked. The ship's captain, Gul Macet, answers the hail, and informs Picard that a Federation starship attacked and destroyed an unarmed science station in the Qualor System. Picard doesn't understand this, and asks for one hour to speak with his superiors at Starfleet. Otherwise, they would continue firing at one another, and a ship of his class is no match for a Galaxy class starship. Macet grants his requests. Act One The report that was submitted to Starfleet is confirmed, and Admiral Haden reports it was the [[USS Phoenix|USS Phoenix]] commanded by Captain Benjamin Maxwell. Picard knows Maxwell and is confused as to why he would do something like this, one of Starfleet's finest captains, and that he must've had a reason. Haden doesn't know, because the ship is on silent running. The Cardassians have given him safe passage as long as they allow a delegation to come along with them. He is ordered to find the Phoenix, which was last seen in Sector 21505 and return her to Federation space. Haden reminds Picard that the Federation is not prepared for a new sustained conflict, and that the peace must be preserved at all costs. Picard discusses that Macet and two of his aids will be transporting to the ship as guests. Worf and Commander Riker asks that they post guards at sensitive areas of the ship. Picard agrees but reminds Worf to instruct his men that they are guests. He asks Data if anyone on the ship have served previously with Maxwell. Data brings up O'Brien as he served on the ''Rutledge'' as tactical officer. Picard asks Riker and Troi to meet the guests and tell O'Brien that he will need to meet with him soon. The three Cardassians transport on board and Riker and Troi introduce themselves to them. Macet introduces his aides, Glinns Daro and Telle. Riker introduces O'Brien to them, which O'Brien replies with a simple nod. Riker escorts them to the conference room, and Troi looks on to O'Brien as something about the Cardassians is making him uneasy, which Troi senses. Act Two La Forge explains to the Cardassians that they can scan up to ten light years, which translates to one sector a day. They've scanned Sector 21505 and found no sign of the Phoenix. Macet is unsure that the ship is still in the sector, and Riker explains the last known location is a good place to start. Macet then explains that he is still skeptical of their progress, but Picard reassures him that he is hearing the reports come in just like he is. Nothing edited or fixed, which Macet agrees. Picard then turns the floor over to O'Brien, who served with Maxwell. Picard understands that Maxwell lost his entire family on a Cardassian raid. O'Brien quotes it as sabotage. It was on Setlik III when the Cardassians raided the planet. Macet concludes that it is vengeance that he is after, but O'Brien counters that Maxwell will not act out of vengeance, and Picard intervenes. Just as they were to discuss more, Worf contacts him and reports they have found the Phoenix. The conference scatters as Picard and his bridge crew escort Macet to the bridge, leaving the Glinns and O'Brien to themselves. A discussion takes place on the turbolift between Daro and O'Brien, which O'Brien loses his cool with when Daro asks if he would like to join them in Ten Forward. He responds that it is his business on who he would spend time with. Data reports that the Phoenix is indeed in Sector 21505. Picard orders to set a course there and orders Worf to send a subspace message to them to prepare for a rendezvous. Macet offers a suggestion to Picard: With precise coordinates and the ship's transponder codes, he can have one of his ships meet up with the Phoenix much quicker than Picard. Picard refuses, indicating that if one of his ships retaliates, they could lose control of the situation, and he prefers that he makes the contact himself. O'Brien treats Keiko with a potato casserole. He then starts humming a war song he sang on the Rutledge, about war and glory. He says that Maxwell likes the song. He sits down and explains that even in the conference room, there are people there who still don't like the Cardassians. He doesn't understand that even though the war is over, why is there still hatred towards them. Keiko asks how he feels about the Cardassians, and he responds that he feels fine. Keiko isn't too sure, however. The Phoenix is in hot pursuit of a Cardassian supply ship, which surprises Macet as to how they were able to read the transponder codes of their ships. Picard tries to hail the Phoenix but to no avail, which annoys Macet. He points out that he has warships that can intercept the ship much faster than the Enterprise. With no choice, and ignoring objections from Worf, Picard orders to relay the prefix codes of the Phoenix, to the Cardassian ship, stating he cannot allow Maxwell to destroy the ship. Act Three (blue) engaging two Cardassian ships (red).]] The Cardassian warship is in weapons range of the ''Phoenix, which Picard orders to overlay the weapon ranges of both ships. The Cardassian ship fires on the Phoenix, which scores a direct hit, forcing the ship to move out of range and regroup. The Phoenix returns fire with photon torpedoes, destroying the warship, in the eyes of a stunned Macet. The supply ship cannot defeat a Nebula class, he points out. Before he can react, the Phoenix fires on the supply ship, destroying it. The warship had a crew of 600, said Macet, and the supply ship had 50. Picard accelerates to warp nine, while Macet leaves the bridge, clearly upset. Picard speaks to O'Brien, who is working on the transporter, about the man he once served. O'Brien explains to him that Maxwell is a person who would not act out on vengeance, and that the Cardassians are up to something, and that he should be investigating them, and not him. Picard reveals what happened moments ago, which puzzles O'Brien, but still defends Maxwell as he must've had good cause to do it. Picard points out that when someone is angry for a long time, he gets used to it, and gets comfortable with it. So much so, he becomes blind to his own actions. At Ten Forward, O'Brien joins Daro for a drink. He apologizes for his behavior on the turbolift, which Daro accepts, and indicates that it's taking a toll on both sides. O'Brien then brings up the Setlik III massacre. He was sent there to reinforce the garrison there, and that mostly everyone was dead. Daro tells O'Brien that they were told it was being used as a launch pad for a massive strike against them. O'Brien was with a group of women and children when two Cardassian soldiers burst in. He stunned one, and got jumped by the other. During the struggle, a women tossed him a phaser, and he fired. The phaser was set to maximum, vaporizing the soldier. O'Brien never killed anything before, until then. Finally, he gets up and says to Daro "It's not you I hate Cardassian, I hate what I've become, because of you". Worf and Telle enter the bridge, with Telle angry at his treatment. Worf explains that he was found accessing a computer terminal studying weapon systems, but Telle gives out a different story. Regardless, Macet chastises Telle for accessing them in the first place. He confines Telle to his quarters and asks to meet with Picard privately. He apologizes for Telle's actions and promises he would be disciplined. Picard takes it in stride and views the matter closed, but Macet isn't so sure. He then proclaims himself as a man not for war, as there are those who crave war, and views Picard as a man not for war either. They then get good news from Data as they will intercept the Phoenix in 22 minutes. The time for Maxwell's crusade ends now. Act Four Maxwell beams aboard and is greeted by Riker. Maxwell knows all about Riker's efforts against the Borg and says they all owe him one. He is surprised to see O'Brien who had no idea he was serving on the Enterprise and explains his service on the Rutledge. O'Brien takes it in stride and says he learned his technique from him, which Maxwell laughs. He then asks to see the captain, as he has a lot to talk about. Maxwell gives O'Brien a wink before leaving. With introductions settled, Maxwell explains to Picard his motive: The Cardassians are rearming, and the science station he destroyed in the Qualor Sector was actually a military supply port. Picard asks for proof, but Maxwell can't give it to him, for he has none. Maxwell indicates that a science station in the Qualor Sector served no purpose, but it's a good strategic location for a military supply base in three Federation-controlled sectors. They were running supply ships in and out, and he will not accept that they were used for scientific research. Picard asks why he did not contact Starfleet. Maxwell did not want to wait months while they shift through the reports. He says lives were at stake and that they had to act now. Picard asks, why? Maxwell gets annoyed and pins Picard as a bureaucrat. Picard points out that he nearly put the Federation into another war, but Maxwell says he prevented a war or delayed it. Picard dismisses it and scores a low blow on Maxwell, linking his actions to the loss of his family. The real motive: Revenge. Maxwell says that he will be vindicated once it is clear what the Cardassians have done, but Picard says whatever they've done now, or have not done is irrelevant, which burns Maxwell to the core. He wants Picard to come with him to prove he's been telling the truth, but Picard orders him to return to his ship and set a course to Starbase 211, with the Enterprise. Both ships have been ordered by Starfleet to return to Federation space together. It's either that, or he is thrown in the brig and his ship is towed in disgrace. Faced with that reality, Maxwell reluctantly accepts the orders and returns to the ship. Act Five With the Phoenix in close formation with the Enterprise, Picard sends a message to Admiral Haden with their expected time of arrival. Just then, the Phoenix alters course, which baffles the bridge crew. The course Maxwell set will intercept a Cardassian ship, which Macet believes Maxwell will attack. Unable to overtake the Phoenix, Picard orders to meet with the Phoenix, and arms phasers. Riker reminds Picard that O'Brien was his tactical officer, and calls on Riker to get him to the bridge. When they arrive, the Phoenix does not appear to be ready to battle the Cardassian ship, yet the sensors cannot scan the status of the Cardassian ship as the ship is running on a high-powered subspace field. Picard is faced with a decision on firing on a Federation starship, and needs O'Brien's knowledge on how he thinks on a situation like this. Maxwell hails the Enterprise and demands that Picard boards the ship, or he'll destroy it. Picard refuses to and will take action to prevent him from doing just that. With that, he closes the hail and O'Brien warns that he will strike if his back is to the wall, and that is exactly what happens. Picard readies to attack the Phoenix but O'Brien offers to beam over to talk some sense into Maxwell. Riker says he won't bring his shields down to transport, but O'Brien knows how the Phoenix shields work and can get on board. Picard accepts it and O'Brien prepares to board the ship. Maxwell gazes at the Enterprise through his window and is surprised to see O'Brien enter. He points a phaser at O'Brien, but he isn't armed. Maxwell wants Picard to board the ship, but O'Brien knows he won't. Maxwell is in disbelief that a Federation starship would attack another to protect the enemy, and O'Brien says he will. Maxwell asks what happened to the war, which O'Brien tells him that there is no war, but he says the Cardassians live to make war, and that neither of them are the same. Reciting their time together on Setlik III, both Maxwell and O'Brien sing the song that Maxwell liked: "The minstrel boy to the war is gone, In the ranks of death you'll find him... His father's sword he hath girded on, And his wild harp slung be-hind him... Land of song, said the warr-ior bard, Tho all the world betrays... thee..., One sword at least thy rights shall guard, One faithful harp shall praise thee.." Maxwell realizes that he will not be able to win this fight, and O'Brien knows. Picard praises O'Brien for his accomplishment. Maxwell is on the Enterprise confined. Despite that O'Brien knows Maxwell's action was wrong, he's still proud to serve with him. Macet scoffs that O'Brien's loyalties are misplaced, but Picard shows him that he has much to learn about Humans. Maxwell was awarded twice with the Federation's highest citation for courage and valor during war. He knows that with that, he will not lose his comission in Starfleet. Before leaving, Picard tells Macet that even though his actions were wrong, Maxwell was indeed right about the transports and the outpost. If Picard were to board the transport, neither him or Macet would be having the conversation and that ships on both side would be preparing to war. Before leaving, Picard gives one last message to the Cardassian Gul... "we'll be watching..." Memorable Quotes "You're a fool, Picard. History will look at you and say: 'This man was a fool.' ''" "''I'll accept the judgement of history." : - Captain Maxwell and Captain Picard "It's not you I hate, Cardassian. I hate what I became because of you." : - Miles O'Brien "The loyalty you would so quickly dismiss does not come easily to my people, Gul Macet. You have much to learn about us. Benjamin Maxwell earned the loyalty of those who served with him. In war, he was twice honored with the Federation's highest citation for his courage and valor. And if he could not find a role for himself in peace, we can pity him, but we shall not dismiss him." : - Captain Picard, to Gul Macet Background Information *This episode marks the debut of the Cardassians. This species would have a prominent role in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Marc Alaimo, who plays Gul Macet in this episode, would go on to play the prominent character Dukat in that series. This is also Marc's third appearance in TNG, each time as a different alien species. *This episode is the first TNG episode featuring Colm Meaney's character, Miles O'Brien, prominently in the story of the episode. Meaney would later be a regular cast member on DS9. It is also the first episode to reference the Setlik III massacre. *The scene where O'Brien and Captain Benjamin Maxwell sing The Minstrel Boy was suggested by Michael Piller. (ST: TNG Companion) *The facial hair and headgear worn by Cardassians are unique to this episode and never shown again. Michael Westmore based the Cardassian look on an abstract painting he had seen two years earlier of a wide-shouldered woman with what appeared to be a spoon in the center of her forehead. (ST: TNG Companion) *Gates McFadden (Beverly Crusher) does not appear in this episode. Besides Season Two, in which she was not a regular cast member, this is McFadden's only non-appearance. *This episode marks the first appearance of the ''Nebula''-class starship as well as the ''Galor''-class warship. *Cardassian energy weapons are pink here, but amber in all subsequent appearances. *This episode marks the first appearance of Kanar, a Cardassian alcoholic beverage. Video and DVD releases *Original UK VHS release (two-episode tapes, CIC Video): Volume 43, . * As part of the UK video collection Star Trek - Greatest Battles: . *UK re-release (three-episode tapes, Paramount Home Entertainment): Volume 4.4, . *As part of the TNG Season 4 DVD collection. Links and References Guest Stars *Marc Alaimo as Gul Macet *Bob Gunton as Captain Benjamin Maxwell *John Hancock as Admiral Haden *Marco Rodriguez as Glinn Telle *Time Winters as Glinn Daro *Colm Meaney as Miles O'Brien *Rosalind Chao as Keiko O'Brien *Guy Vardaman as Darien Wallace (uncredited) References 40 Eridani A; 40 Eridani A Starfleet Construction Yards; Borg; capers; Cardassians; Cardassian supply ship; Cuellar system; glinn; gul; kanar; Kayden, Will; kelp buds; Kelrabi system; kidney pie; "The Minstrel Boy"; Moore, Thomas; ''Nebula''-class starship; pattern buffer; ''Phoenix'', USS; plankton loaf; potato casserole; prefix code; Priority one; replicator; ''Rutledge'', USS; sea berries; Sector 21503; Sector 21505; Setlik III; Setlik III massacre; Starbase 211; ''Stargazer'', USS; subspace field; tactical officer; Trager; transponder code; transporter; Yoyodyne Division. |next= }} Wounded, The de:Der Rachefeldzug es:The Wounded nl:The Wounded